Dataloggers are becoming increasingly popular for capture of data that is broadcast by a vehicle's electronic control module (ECM) or electronic control unit (ECU). ECU and ECM are used interchangeably. A datalogger (or data recorder) is typically an electronic device that records data over time, such as recording data from a built-in device like an ECM. Dataloggers can capture data from real-time in-situ measurements of vehicle parameters. Such captured data can be used in a variety of ways, such as for detecting and quantifying engine duty cycle severity, measuring fuel economy, determining engine oil performance, predicting differences in driver styles and/or drive cycles. Dataloggers can be configured to be a transmitting node or a receiving node or a trans-receiver node.
Although dataloggers can be suitable for collecting data from an ECM, providing data from auxiliary sensors not associated with the ECM to a datalogger within the passenger compartment of a vehicle can pose difficulties. In typical motor vehicles, the engine compartment and the passenger compartment of the vehicle are separated by a barrier structure referred to as a firewall. Conventional methods for interfacing a datalogger in the passenger compartment with auxiliary sensors mounted within the engine compartment have typically involved breaching the firewall, so that a cable can be passed through the firewall to allow a direct wired connection between the sensor(s) in the engine compartment and the datalogger in the passenger compartment. While breaching the firewall is feasible, such breaches of the firewall are undesirable for a variety of reasons that are well-known in the automotive industry.
One proposed method for overcoming the difficulty of interfacing a datalogger with auxiliary sensors is to use the preexisting 12 volt direct current power line bus (and/or up to 48 volts direct current) in the vehicle. Although the direct current power line bus is designed for power delivery, the power line bus can also be suitable for transmitting carrier signals containing data. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0180677 provides an example of a power line communication system and a corresponding protocol for communicating over a powerline. While examples of powerline communication have been proposed, however, commercial implementations of powerline communication that allow for communication between sensors in an engine compartment and dataloggers on the opposite side of the vehicle firewall are not available. As a result, there is a need for systems and methods that can allow for communication between an ECM and/or auxiliary engine sensor and a datalogger in the vehicle cab/passenger compartment (and/or on the opposite side of the vehicle firewall) while overcoming any difficulties that may be encountered during real-world implementation of such systems and methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,257,426 describes wireless communications systems and methods. The systems and methods are adapted for use in automotive applications for enabling automatic, high-speed, wireless voice and/or data communications link to be established when an RF (radio frequency) transceiver located on a vehicle comes within range of a second RF transceiver.